Portals of Hot Water

I am wrapped in a wool shawl, perched on the couch in our trailer while my son sleeps and Wayland is off on a run.  Thunder rumbles in the distance sounding like a cranky hungry sky, while lightening occasionally splits the pale grey coverage, and rain softly splatters fat drops onto our roof. 

I am cozy.

We are in Pagosa Springs Colorado.

We left this morning from a perch on the Rio Grande at one of Waylands dear friends ranch in Del Norte Colorado.  We didn’t mean to stay here, or even stop here.  But toddlers need parks, and we were driving past one and stopped.  While Wayland made lunch in the trailer, Bay and I tromped around the park and quickly bored of its typical antics.  We went rogue and discovered the river carving the town in two.  We climbed rocks and he discovered the joy of a river surging between boulders. 

After lunch the three of us returned to the river and realized that folks were sitting in small rock enclosed pools.  Hot pools.  Steaming deliciously warm pools.  I am of the belief that hot water is one of the greatest creations on earth.  And here is a town where people just get to slut around in hot pools down town.  I’m in. 

Bay has eyes only for the river and the sandy beach, but the husband and I take turns laying in a very hot pool that we had to ourselves.  Sitting in a naturally occurring hot spring on a river bed and resting my head on mineral stained rocks, I thought, I could move here.  I could definitely live in a place that has hot springs just bursting out of the rivers edges, where kids are sliding down the river and pausing when chilled to warm up in the sulfur scented hot water.  This is normal. 
As my muscles relaxed and softened, as anything I was concerned about dissolved, I opened my eyes to see people strolling down the path, businesses conducting business, and strata of rock laced with mineral seepage lining the river.  This is normal.  This is just another day in Pagosa Springs. 

So, we stayed.  We are boondocking in the back of some restaurant on the rivers edge. 
And I’m cozy.  I’m soft, hot spring soft, lulled in the song of rain and thunder too lazy to be too loud, and so radically content. 

Lately when people have been asking us what this trip has been like, our answer has been “hard”.  (more on that later) Today, this experience, watching my son laugh and run in a river, hot water, husband happy, today, this trip is absolutely priceless.